Website Used to Abuse Lewis Hamilton Owned By Global Ad Agency

The website at the center of controversy over racist abuse of British formula one driver Lewis Hamilton is owned by a New York-based advertising agency, TWBA, which is part of the world's largest media services group, Omnicom, the Guardian can reveal.

The site, which belongs to the Spanish branch of the advertising firm, was closed down last night after hundreds of abusive messages were posted, some of which referred to Hamilton as a "half-breed" and others which used the n-word.

Hamilton hopes to become motor racing's youngest ever world champion at the final race of the season tomorrow.

Last night cabinet minister Andy Burnham led calls for action against the racist abuse. TBWA operates in 77 countries with 12,000 staff in 258 offices. Its clients include Absolute Vodka, Apple, Adidas, McDonald's, Michelin, Sony PlayStation, and Singapore Airlines. Last year, Omnicom's revenue was $12.7bn.

A spokesman in the company's New York office said it did not know why the site, which was designed and owned by its interactive marketing branch in Spain, had not been monitored to stop racists using it to abuse Hamilton.

Among the comments left on the website was one from someone calling himself Carillo, telling Hamilton: "Kill yourself in your car." A message from a man called Alberto says: "I hope you run over your dad in the first pitstop, Hamilton."

"The site has been taken down," said TBWA spokesman Jeremy Miller. "We have no other official comment to make at the moment." The firm's clients in Spain include McDonald's, Nivea, Clinique, Häagan-Dazs ice cream and Spain's state-owned Renfe rail operator.

Burnham, the culture, media and sport secretary, said: "This is a crucial race for Lewis Hamilton and the whole country will be behind him on Sunday. I'm very concerned to hear reports of websites potentially fueling racist abuse. The authorities must take the toughest possible action against racism in sport."

Keith Vaz, chairman of Labour's Ethnic Minority Taskforce, urged foreign secretary David Miliband to lodge a formal protest with his Spanish counterpart.

Vaz said it was clear the website - called Pincha la Rueda de Hamilton, which translates as Burst Hamilton's Tire - was set up to destabilize the driver ahead of tomorrow's race. "The Spanish government cannot stand back and allow this organized and systematic racism to continue. These people must be widely condemned and the websites that they use shut down immediately."

The sport's governing body, the FIA, and Hamilton's McLaren team condemned the attacks as "abusive and hateful."